A new Rafa and a Novak Djokovic-tipped future No. 1: Meet the rising stars at the French Open, including Joao Fonseca and Iva Jovic
Published 22/05/2026 at 13:38 GMT+1
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Jannik Sinner heads into the 2026 French Open at Roland-Garros as the heavy favourite for the men’s title in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who is out with a wrist injury.
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Sinner is bidding to complete the career Grand Slam in Paris, having lost to Alcaraz in a thrilling final last year.
The women’s field looks more open than the men's, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff among the leading contenders.
Gauff is the defending champion after beating Sabalenka in last year's final.
But who are the up-and-coming players who could make a name for themselves at the clay Grand Slam, which starts on May 31, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max?
Among them are a new Spanish Rafa, a potential French star, a much-hyped Brazilian and an 18-year-old American who has been getting tips from Novak Djokovic.
Rafa Jodar
Along with Sinner’s incredible winning streak, Rafa Jodar’s remarkable rise has been one of the stories of the clay season.
This time last year he was ranked No. 687 in the world and playing college tennis in the US. Now he is set to be in the top 30 after the Italian Open and will be seeded for the French Open.
Jodar, 19, only turned pro at the start of the 2026 season but has quickly stacked up wins, triumphing on his clay debut in Marrakech, then making the semi-finals in Barcelona before continuing his impressive form in Madrid with a run to the quarters.
In Rome he became the first teenager to reach the last eight of multiple Masters events in a season since Novak Djokovic in 2007.
Expect to hear plenty of ‘Vamos Rafa’ chants again at the French Open.
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Rafael Jodar
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Arthur Fils
The 2026 French Open will be the last for Gael Monfils, one of France’s leading men’s players over the past 15 years.
Monfils is retiring at the end of the season and it looks as though he will be handing the tricolore baton over to Arthur Fils.
Fils, 21, returned to the tour in February following eight months out with injury and has been on an impressive run.
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He holds a 22-7 win-loss record for the season, winning in Barcelona, making the final in Doha, and semis in Miami and Madrid.
Up to No. 17 in the rankings, Fils’ participation at the French Open looked in doubt when he retired from his second-round match in Rome due to injury.
However, he has since said that he is good to go.
"Felt something during the match in Rome," he wrote on X. "I ran all the tests with the team and everything is clear. Already back to work for Paris.”
Joao Fonseca
You’ve almost certainly heard about Joao Fonseca.
Compared early in his career to Roger Federer and Djokovic, Fonseca, 19, has been one of the most talked about youngsters on tour over the past 18 months.
His results have not yet quite matched the hype.
He is 10-8 for the season, with quarter-final runs in Monte-Carlo and Munich his best displays. In Madrid he was bounced out by fellow teen Jodar, losing the deciding set 6-1, and in Rome he lost to world No. 67 Hamad Medjedovic.
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Sinner hails 'incredible talent' Fonseca after tightly-contested last-16 match
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Fonseca has been vocally supported on tour by Brazilian fans but, after the defeat to Medjedovic, he said that sometimes the noise in the stands gets too much.
”Too many interruptions. I’m not going to say that was the reason for the loss, because it wasn’t. But the crowd really matters; Brazilian fans sometimes think it’s a football match. I love the crowd, but there has to be a small limit.
”It doesn’t only bother the [other] player, it also bothers me. So, it’s just a request, but I still enjoy playing with the crowd, with the people cheering for me.”
Despite his record this year, Fonseca has shown his undoubted talent by pushing Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev close. He looks set to be seeded in Paris and will be one to watch.
Iva Jovic
Iva Jovic’s rise from outside the top 140 this time last year to No. 16 has been helped by one of the greats of the game: Novak Djokovic.
”He’s given me some great tips. I can tell that he has watched my matches, which is surreal,” Jovic said in April.
”I’m like, ‘How do you even have time for that? How am I on your priority list?’ But it’s incredible.”
Djokovic has been keeping an eye on Jovic, 18, partly because her father, Bojan, also hails from Serbia.
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Highlights: Dominant Sabalenka brushes aside Jovic to storm into semi-finals
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The 24-time Grand Slam champion has said that Jovic "has all the tools to be a future champion, a future No. 1".
Jovic was born in America and has been making waves on tour this year. She started the year by making the Australian Open quarter-finals, losing to Aryna Sabalenka, and also made the semis in Charleston.
She came close to scoring the biggest win of her career in Rome but couldn’t convert a match point against world No. 4 Coco Gauff.
Linda Noskova
Linda Noskova has had an under-the-radar rise up to No. 13 in the world.
Not one of the most talked about names on tour, the 21-year-old has made the Indian Wells semis and quarters in Stuttgart and Madrid this year.
She was impressive in taking out Gauff in Madrid from a double break down in the third set, and at Indian Wells looked a cut above 18-year-old Alexandra Eala as she thrashed her in the third round.
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Linda Noskova
Image credit: Getty Images
With a strong serve and powerful ground game, Noskova looks more ready to win now than Eala and some of the other teenagers on tour.
She has already enjoyed success at Roland-Garros, winning the girls’ title in 2021, and could be a dangerous opponent in the draw.
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